Doctor Errors Archives

On behalf of David Foster of Sokol & Foster, P.C. posted in Doctor Errors on Tuesday, February 19, 2019.

Most would be shocked to hear that the third leading cause of death in the United States is medical negligence. It is estimated that over 200,000 deaths can be attributed to medical errors. These startling statistics bring to light the fact that doctor mistakes are not as uncommon as most would like to think. There are new victims daily here in Oregon and across the country. Here are some things someone who thinks he or she may be a victim of medical malpractice should do.

On behalf of David Foster of Sokol & Foster, P.C. posted in Doctor Errors on Tuesday, February 12, 2019.

Losing a limb is a life-changing event. Whether that limb is an arm or a leg, the way one has to function to perform everyday tasks is changed. Thankfully, with the help of the advanced prosthetics available in Oregon today, many of its residents are living full, active lives after suffering the loss of a limb. A woman in another state is now adapting to life with a prosthetic leg after her medical malpractice case resulted in a $1 million settlement.

On behalf of David Foster of Sokol & Foster, P.C. posted in Doctor Errors on Tuesday, February 5, 2019.

When a medical student in Oregon finally becomes a doctor, he or she takes an oath to uphold certain expectations regarding patient care. The doctor is to try to heal the sick, reduce suffering and do no harm. It is unthinkable that a doctor would purposely harm his patients, but a doctor in another state is facing medical malpractice claims for doing just that. In a shocking story that is continuing to unfold, that doctor is suspected of purposely ending the lives of at least 28 patients in his care.

On behalf of David Foster of Sokol & Foster, P.C. posted in Doctor Errors on Tuesday, January 22, 2019.

Lifetime medical care is one of the benefits the veterans who have defended this country are entitled to due to their service. Each state, including Oregon, has numerous VA hospitals. One would hope that the medical care offered to veterans at these facilities is of the highest quality; however, sometimes it is not. More than a hundred veterans that visited a VA hospital in another state have been notified that they were the victims of medical malpractice.

On behalf of David Foster of Sokol & Foster, P.C. posted in Doctor Errors on Monday, January 14, 2019.

Children in Oregon and across the world are told every day that there is no reason to be scared of the dentist, and most of the time this is true. Normally, dental visits are some of the safest, least invasive medical procedures performed. Like any other medical field of practice, however, it is not without its risks, especially when anesthesia is involved. A family in another state has filed a medical malpractice claim after a 2-year-old child died following a dental procedure that may not have even been necessary.

On behalf of David Foster of Sokol & Foster, P.C. posted in Doctor Errors on Monday, January 7, 2019.

Infertility is a frustrating, heart-wrenching reality for many couples in Oregon and across the country. The desire to have a child, and the inability to achieve that dream, is one of the hardest challenges many people face. When there's nowhere left to turn, many couples put their dreams in the hands of fertility doctors with the hope and trust that the doctor will carefully and compassionately work to help them achieve their dream of becoming parents. One doctor apparently betrayed that trust and is being sued for medical negligence for taking advantage of a couple desperate to have a child of their own.

On behalf of David Foster of Sokol & Foster, P.C. posted in Doctor Errors on Monday, December 31, 2018.

Anesthesia is one of the riskiest elements to any surgery because even when carefully administered there can be catastrophic side effects. Many patients have simply quit breathing when under general anesthesia. The expertise required for an anesthesiologist is so imperative that it is unthinkable that a doctor in Oregon or any other state would attempt administering anesthesia without proper training and experience. However, according to a recent medical malpractice lawsuit, that is exactly what happened.

On behalf of David Foster of Sokol & Foster, P.C. posted in Doctor Errors on Monday, December 24, 2018.

When a person checks into an Oregon hospital for treatment, he or she does so with faith that the medical staff is competent and armed with a thorough knowledge of ailments, treatments and care. It is assumed that the staff would be careful and educated enough to correctly give medications and be familiar with their uses and interactions. This was not so for the medical staff at one VA hospital in another state where a veteran was repeatedly given the wrong medication. That mistake caused severe damage that took the man's life, so his widow filed a medical malpractice claim against the government and was recently awarded $800,000 for her loss.

On behalf of David Foster of Sokol & Foster, P.C. posted in Doctor Errors on Tuesday, December 11, 2018.

Most people in Oregon would agree that losing an arm or leg can have a significant impact on someone's life. Suddenly, the person has to learn how to do many routine daily activities differently in order to compensate for the missing limb. The loss of a single limb can have life-altering consequences, so to lose all four limbs is almost unimaginable. This became a reality for a woman in another state who lost both arms and legs after being misdiagnosed at the hospital she went to for treatment. She sued for medical malpractice and has recently been awarded $21 million.

On behalf of David Foster of Sokol & Foster, P.C. posted in Doctor Errors on Wednesday, November 21, 2018.

Nursing homes are a necessary part of life in Oregon and other states. Everyone would prefer to be able to continue living in their homes with their families, but often the need for extra care causes elderly people to need to enter a nursing home. The family hopes that the doctors and nurses that they have entrusted with the care of their loved one will be competent, caring and careful. An elderly man in another state was recently awarded over $600,000 in a medical malpractice lawsuit stemming from inadequate care he received while a resident at a nursing home in 2013.

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